1. School Travel Planning Leading the way for Active School Travel in Ontario, Canada: A Collaborative Provincial Strategy
Introduction page

2. Introduction
This presentation is highlighting how collaboration with strategic and diverse partners can bring about long-term change in a variety of community and school settings. Together GCC, MX and HSF are making the case for sustainability through existing transportation, education and health programs and partners.
I will describe these three collaborative partners in more detail shortly.

3. An explanation of terms used
School Travel Planning: The process to deliver ASRTS in a way that follows the 5 E’s
Education
Encouragement
Enforcement
Engineering
Evaluation
Active Sustainable School Travel (ASST): another name for ASRTS
Encouragement and Educational Activities include:
Walking School Bus / Bicycle Train
Walk/Wheel on Wednesdays
Walking Buddies

4. The School Travel Planning Process
To ensure that everyone in the audience understands what we’re talking about, here is a bit of background. Between 2006/12 GCC led the research, development, and pilot test of the Canadian STP model and disseminated it to every P/T. A comprehensive set of tools were created and are available through our web site along with the results from this work to date.

5. The school travel planning model shown on the previous slide was implemented nationwide between 2010 and 2012, through a network of provincial and territorial Active and Safe Routes to School partners.

6. Inclusive Planning and Engagement
The beauty of the STP model is its ability to bring together a diverse group of community stakeholders to collect data, assess needs, plan actions, implement and measure – based on realistic capacity of the team. The process works best when schools are very actively involved, including providing a voice for students. The School Travel Plan is a living document that the school and the team can reference to create progress over 2-3 years. Ultimately the responsibility for safe and active travel for children should be built into existing policies and community master plans affecting transportation, health, safety and environment. This is our shared vision.

7. Cost-Benefits of School Travel
1:8 cost-benefit ratio on STP work in Ontario to date
Long-term estimated benefit of $142M to the province
~$1M for 19 projects over 11 years
Average
Annual Costs
Elmdale Public School, Ottawa Cost-Benefit
Annual Benefits:
+ 231, minutes
- 20, km
- 4.4 tonnes of greenhouse gases
- 177 kg of air pollutants $
After the dissemination we worked together to assess the impacts of the work. Despite being rolled out over a short time period, the results I’m going to share with you on the next couple of slides are encouraging.
The c-b study, completed in , and presented at the Sydney W21 conference, demonstrated that the STP model is cost effective, especially when delivered over several years. This is important evidence as we work to create a provincial sustainable model for Ontario, and then consider how to replicate this across the country.
The total cost of the 19 projects in 6 communities over 11 years would be one million dollars. The average annual cost was less than $5000 per project and at $124 per student over 11 years.
The benefits over 11 years would be $142M in cost savings to the Province. These cost benefits are translated into health, transportation, fuel, emissions, with some infrastructure costs.
4900/
Project $
124/
Student

8. STP in Canada: A holistic examination of program impact on active school travel: G. Mammen, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
Funded by:
Disseminated
Objectives
Our initial data analysis from the dissemination seemed disappointing – an average across the country of only 1.3% modal shift. However, some regions were very new to AST while others, like Ontario, have been at it for years – so there were provincial modal shift spread of between 1 and 23%. To better understand the outcomes of the work, G. Mammen, UofT, undertook an extensive study of the data and the model, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. His findings, which will be published very soon, are interesting.
Can STP lead to increases in AST after 1 year of implementation?
What key factors influence implementation and mode change?
4 distinct studies: 2 quantitative + 1 qualitative + 1 mixed-methods

9. Can STP lead to increases in AST?
Summary of Findings after 1 school year of STP
Study 1
Increase in AST
Study 2
Mode Shift among Parents
Study 3
N/A (Qualitative)
1-23%
14%
in 1/2 of Participating Schools
of parents changed from to
Study 4
2 Toronto Schools
3.2%
3.9%
15%
11%
To School
From School
To School
From School
School 1
School 2

10. Diverse communities served
Summary of Findings $ $
Diverse communities served $ $
Success Factors
STP Facilitator role & model
STP’s comprehensive approach in strategy implementations and stakeholder involvement:
- school champions
community stakeholders (align with 5Es)
designated facilitator
Biggest challenges
1 year implementation period
Parent involvement

11. Ontario Provincial Strategies Leading to Sustainability
Feasibility Study in
Toronto & Wellington Dufferin Guelph
So here we present the work of the three partners, working to create one cohesive program that governments cannot refuse! These three provincial strategies are working in parallel with multiple partners to foster longer-term sustainability in active school travel in Ontario.
Regional Communities of Practice
Roadmap Strategy

12. Provincial ASST Strategy Roadmap www.smartcommute.ca
Metrolinx mandate: To champion and deliver mobility solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA):
The Big Move
By 2031, 60% of children in the GTHA will walk or cycle to school
20% of am peak hour traffic is connected to school travel
School travel mode affects work commute
Stepping It Up project for Hamilton and Region of Peel
Opportunity to build lifelong healthy habits Children today are the commuters of 2031 and beyond
GCC has worked closely with Metrolinx as they used their mandate through The Big Move, to increase active travel trips for the school journey. A collaboration on STP in the City of Hamilton and Region of Peel, which incorporated Smart Commute principles for school staff, led to a recognition of the need for greater collaboration across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region, after the completion of the Stepping It Up project. Metrolinx undertook an extensive strategic visioning exercise.

13. Provincial ASST Strategy Roadmap
Provides discussion platform on sustaining active school travel in the GTHA and beyond.
Conversation between > 30 key stakeholder organizations: 8 provincial ministries, municipalities, public health, school boards, practitioners, and NGOs
Describes how organizations and communities can work individually and collectively.
Strategy identifies: key goals & benefits, 8 strategic areas of focus & related actions, existing stakeholder activity & priority actions.
Process funded by Metrolinx & Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation.

14. Provincial ASST Strategy Roadmap Modeling between workshops
Process
Clarifying Strategic Intentions
Synthesis
Building the Roadmap
Priority Setting
Dialog
42 Key Informant Interviews
Modeling
Listening
Numerous documents reviewed
4 workshops, every 2 weeks
Modeling between workshops

15. Strategy roadmap
And this was the result – the Roadmap.

16. Strategy Roadmap Implemented in GTHA
Formed January 2015
Includes representatives from 60+ organizations (transportation, planning and recreation departments, public health, school boards, police, schools, NGOs, and other stakeholders)
Welcomes participation from all GTHA stakeholders
Key Goals
Support further collaboration
Sharing of Best Practice
Amplification of Work
Municipalities/
Regional Governments
School boards
Public Health
Local NGO/
ENGOs
Metrolinx

17. History with Active School Travel
Strong partnerships across the province with over 250 partners dedicated to improving children’s health since 2006
Support includes initiatives:
Champlain School Facilitation
Pilot
The HSF has a long history with AST, and has collaborated with GCC for many years. Their programming that is a perfect fit for AST includes:
Regional Communities of Practice

18. HealthyCanada By Design
Spark Advocacy Grants
Local
research
Establish
Partnerships
Build
Awareness
Community
Engagement
Policy
Development
Advocacy
HealthyCanada By Design
Partners: national health, planning and transportation organizations, region and local health authorities, NGOs, & university researchers;
Incorporate health considerations into land use and transportation planning
Developed the Shaping Active, Healthy Communities Toolkit and Workshop guide
Strategies incorporate support for local advocacy through Spark; connecting health, planning and engineering professionals through built environment and health; providing community level adaptable resources …

19. Champlain School Facilitation Pilot Program
8 month school-based intervention to support healthy eating and physical activity, including school travel planning/active transportation
RioCan/HSF/GCC Active Safe Routes to School ( )
4 new schools each year from across Canada
5-step plan to develop school travel plans
Education and encouragement (events, assemblies, awards)
Community mobilization
Evaluation
Supporting an intervention to support healthy eating and PA, in partnership with the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network and Propel Centre for Population Health Impact; and directing corporate donations to HSF to assist further the work with school communities around AST.

20. Regional Communities of Practice Strategies and Policies
Heart and Stroke/Green Communities: research and document existing Ontario school travel policies
Hosting Regional Workshops: 4
Regional summits for
- Report feedback
Understand/incorporating regional differences
Sharing promising and best practices
An exciting initiative, now underway, is led by HSF and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The focus of this work is to identify and facilitate the creation of AST policies while sharing best and promising practice to encourage growth of the work to more communities and schools.
A survey, conducted by GCC on behalf of HSF, was conducted this past spring of ASRTS practitioners across the province. The results were interesting and consistent and in line with the Metrolinx Strategy Roadmap and early results from the Ministry of Education feasibility study:
Highlighted urgent need for building local capacity, through funding of staff (facilitation).
STP model is well recognized and implementation across the province is strong.
Ownership and funding create barriers to expansion.
Key to the success of a provincial STP initiative is the engagement of local multi-stakeholder commitment.
Lack of active school travel policies: school boards and municipalities; requires immediate action.
HSF will be conducting 4 regional workshops (Ontario is a very large province!) with one final consolidated workshop, to share results.
5th
workshop to consolidate best strategies
from regional workshops
Create a sustainability plan
that builds on results from summits

21. A Feasibility Study: Regional Delivery of STP?
Who owns STP?
Who should fund STP?
WELLINGTON DUFFERIN GUELPH
TORONTO
Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education, GCC is conducting intensive STP programming in 15 schools in a mix of urban, suburban and rural settings. We have not yet collected the follow-up data so results are currently just anecdotal – but they are all encouraging, with all schools showing slight increases in walking and wheeling. As well as comparing modal shift we are also analyzing the costs vs. benefits as part of this study.
This study wraps up in November, and will inform future programming in these participating communities but will also provide GCC and the provincial government with valuable recommendations on where the STP model belongs – who are the best and most logical ‘owners’ and who should contribute to the funding of the work.
To assist with the funding the Heart and Stroke Foundation, through a corporate donation from RioCan, contributed to the work in 6 of the Toronto schools.
10 schools
Neighbourhood pairing
Urban and suburban
5 schools
5 municipalities
Urban and rural

22. Ontario ASRTS Partnership Model
Delivered locally with support from: Supported provincially:
School Boards
Public Health
Municipalities
Police
By pulling together the lessons learned, experience gained and collaborative relationships developed, GCC aims to create a provincial partnership model that will provide centralized leadership while providing capacity to communities to develop and maintain locally relevant active school travel programs. The funds to make this happen are not committed at this time but work is underway to advocate for this model.
The feasibility study will lead to a strong partnership model, that provides sustained local capacity to school boards and key stakeholders while supporting a centralized clearing house and knowledge base to coordinate and manage funding, resources and tools, training and acreditation, communications, evaluation and measurements, and KTE.
Resource Support
for STP Tools & Models
Funding
Support
for
Facilitation
Knowledge exchange through regional cooperation
Central Communications Strategy
Evaluation/
Measurements

23. Multiple Partners and Contributors Our Thanks
Funding
Toronto
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
At this point, we have a diverse range of funders and contributors. In addition to the Ministry of Education, City/Municipal departments, and the school boards, we also collaborate with other non-profit organizations and corporate entities, all of whom have been very helpful in the process.
Transportation
Services & Planning

24. Questions?
To summarize, we have developed the Canadian School Travel Planning Model as a way to strategically deliver ASRTS and we aim to continue this work until we have created a long-term sustainable model in Ontario and across Canada.